Hearts of Steel issue 4

« The Transformers: Evolutions Hearts of Steel #4 »
"If I ever transformed, which I don't, this is what it'd look like."
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	September 27, 2006
Cover date	September 2006
Written by	Chuck Dixon
Pencils by	Guido Guidi
Inks by	Aaron Leach
Colors by	Jay Fotos
Letters by	Robbie Robbins
Edits by	Chris Ryall & Dan Taylor (& Justin Eisinger for the collection)
Continuity	Hearts of Steel

The Autobots must stop the Decepticons from reaching New York City.

Synopsis

On a railway in Arizona, the Army has set up a blockade. As the Astrotrain approaches, the commander gives the order to fire. However, the Astrotrain is moving too fast for them, and barrels right through the blockade.

Elsewhere, Tobias Muldoon, the Merriweathers and Mark Twain are driving Standford's private train as fast as they can, to intercept the Decepticons. They pull into a station to take on coal and water, and spot "one peculiar-looking locomotive". They confront Bumblebee, John Henry, and the Autobots, but they all quickly realize they are on the same side, and the two teams join forces. The telegraph operator at the station, seeing the mechanized giants, telegraphs his boss, Jacob Lee Bonaventure, with the news. Bonaventure is aboard the Astrotrain, but isn't worried, as he has faith that Starscream has plans for this eventuality. And, indeed, as Bonaventure and Vanfleet watch, Scourge deploys from one of the boxcars, taking on his alternate mode of an armed blimp, and sets off to intercept the Autobots.

Aboard Merriweather's private train, Merriweather and Twain commiserate about the joys of fatherhood while shoveling coal into the engine. Aboard Bumblebee, Henry and Muldoon talk about the difference between Autobots and Decepticons (while shoveling coal), until Cletus notices Scourge approaching. Scourge begins to drop bombs, so the two trains speed toward the protection of a tunnel. Muldoon runs back over the tops of the Autobots, concerned about Kitty on the following train, but is halted when Sideswipe (or possibly Ironhide, see Errors, below) partially transforms out of boxcar mode, and shoots holes in Scourge. The two trains make it to the tunnel (and Tobias makes it to Kitty) just as Scourge collides with the cliff above the tunnel, and explodes. Stanford states that he now fully approves of Tobias's interest in Kitty.

As Bumblebee and the rest of the Autobots emerge from the tunnel, a shell strikes the cliff overhead, blocking the tunnel entrance with boulders. Merriweather's private train and its passengers are trapped inside. The Autobots set to work clearing the rubble. Some distance away, Starscream orders another salvo of artillery. Prowl and Ratchet direct the debris-clearing work, mentioning that there are humans and Autobots inside. The next round strikes several of the Autobots directly, temporarily incapacitating them, and John Henry and Bumblebee set off alone to stop the Decepticons. The Astrotrain resumes his progress, but Bumblebee manages to catch up on an adjoining track. He gets ahead of the Astrotrain, and Henry uses his hammer to flip a switch, directing the Astrotrain, the Decepticons, Bonaventure, and Vanflint over a cliff, presumably to fall to their destruction.

Later, John Henry, Brawley, and Cletus clear enough rocks to free the Merriweathers, Muldoon, and Twain. The Autobots have already left, to return to their slumber, and to resume their war in the future.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"It's a devil train outta Perdition!"

—Anonymous soldier, re: the Astrotrain

"The inventiveness of these Decepticons is limitless. A never-ending genesis of gears and engines and devices."

—Jacob Lee Bonaventure

"Now them Decepticons is headin' for the Yampah in a hurry. An' I hope they hit ever' rock on the way down."

—John Henry

Notes

Real-world references

• Henry refers to the "Yampah", which is presumably the Yampa River in Colorado.

Errors

• Scourge appears to be flying backwards during the entire scene in which he attacks the Autobot train.
• The trade paperback editions of the story introduce an error, having Ironhide identify himself as Sideswipe after shooting down Scourge. This is particularly baffling considering Ironhide has his name written down the side of his alternate mode in huge letters!
• Ratchet states that there are Autobots, plural, trapped in the tunnel, but only Ironhide is missing from the established party. Ironhide is later seen leaving with the rest of the Autobots, before even a human-sized gap in the rubble has been cleared. (And, hey, it would have been nice if they'd helped some more with that rubble-clearing, y'know?)

Other trivia

• It was pretty dumb of the Seekers to be attached to the train when it crashed, instead of just flying above it...
• On the Decepticon train, there is a large cannon that resembles Megatron, as seen in Guido's sketches.
• The "Decepticomments" section has readers' mail answered by "Chris Rail".
• The sketches of Ratchet on cover B were also in the trade paperback.

Covers (3)

— All by Guido Guidi

• Cover A: Montage of Tobias Muldoon, Astrotrain in train mode, and (possibly) Astrotrain in robot mode by Guido Guidi
• Cover B: Ratchet sketch by Guido Guidi
• Retailer Incentive: Cover A uncolored sketch

• 

  "Astrotrain, you have caused confusion and delay."

• 

  "Boxcar Willie" Ratchet.

• 

  "Egads!"

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